Who are some semi-plausible 2014 gubernatorial candidates who could win?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

OH: Kasich is pretty unpopular and could be beaten by a number of Ohio Democrats, but Richard Cordray pretty much has the right of first refusal here.  And barring some sort of massive unforeseeable event or scandal, Cordray would beat Kasich.  In fact, Cordray would be favored even if Kasich weren't so unpopular, but since he is, he may well be DOA (although it's too early to make that assumption atm).

Florida: Rod Smith seems like he might be a strong statewide candidate.  Buddy Dyer is another possibility.  Clarence is right that it won't be Crist.  But whoever the Democratic nominee is, it is important to remember that they will probably be running against Rick Scott (Scott probably has enough tea-party support to survive any primary challenge and doesn't strike me as someone who would agree to not run for reelection for the good of the Republican party).  This may end up canceling out many of the usual disadvantages Democrats face when running in statewide elections in Florida.  In any event, the bar for how strong a Democrat needs to be to win this race is much lower in this race than it normally is in Florida.

Pennsylvania: Some of this depends on who wins the statewide offices that are up this year. 

Michigan: Idk, but given the natural Democratic tilt of the state, I have a hard time imagining that the state Democratic party is too weak to find an electable candidate here.  2010 was a fluke.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Michigan: Hansen Clarke or Ving Bergano?

I assume you mean Virgil Bernero?

Btw, this column adds Jocelyn Benson and Gretchen Whitmer as possible Michigan 2014 gubernatorial candidates (though it looks like Benson has never held public office, so she'd be a longshot):

http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/02/looking_ahead_to_2014_who_will.html

What about Illinois?  Pat Quinn only barely won against mediocre competition in 2010, and he's gotten less popular since then, hasn't he?  So does the GOP have a chance?

And what about California?  Is Brown even certain to run for reelection?  He'd be 80 years old when a hypothetical second term ends.

IIRC Benson narrowly lost the race for Michigan Secretary of State in 2010, despite being a first-time candidate (I think).  Whitmer would definitely be a strong candidate.  If he has appeal to white voters and did a good job as Mayor (idk if either is the case), maybe Dennis Archer.  Gary Peters (assuming he beats Clarke) would be a strong candidate although I suspect that he is more interested in running for Senate whenever Carl Levin decides not to run for reelection.  In any event, I am pretty sure that there won't be any problem finding a good candidate to run against Snyder, especially if he is still highly unpopular (although I think he'll probably face a tough race no matter what). 

I don't think Brown has anything to worry about atm and if he doesn't run for reelection, there are bound to be plenty of Democrats waiting in the wings (Newsom, Harris, etc). 

It's to early to say what will happen in Illinois (even more so than in MI or CA).  Quinn may not run for reelection, the Republicans may nominate a very weak or unusually strong candidate.  This race is currently defined by known unknowns.